INNOCENCE LOST
by charismatic angel
Summary: Some scars are difficult to heal, especially ones that are self-inflicted. Amongst the chaos two assassins will come together to discover the true meaning of redemption. A tangled web of hypocrisy, idealism, and love is woven as the members fight for what


Title:            Innocence Lost

Chapter:  One – Beautiful Assasin -Revised

Chapter Date:            September 26, 2003

Rated:  PG 13 (Violence & Language)

Hello again! This is my second attempt at writing an RK fanfic. This idea has been with me for a while, so I decided to finally type it out. I know I still have to finish my first fic, but I thought I'd take a break from that one so I can come up with a few ideas. In the mean time, I hope you enjoy this fic. Please Read and let me know what you think by submitting a review ^_^ Thanks

*I decided to revise this chapter because after rereading it, I began to dislike my writing style. I don't know what I was smoking when I wrote this, but some things really don't make sense! So to appease my writers personality I am redoing this chapter. Thank you for baring with me ^_^

Overview: A civil war is arising in present day Japan. The Tenchuu Clan (Heaven's Justice) wants to rid Japan of evil by banning weapons and enforcing strict laws to punish wrong doers. Their ultimate goal is to build a "Utopia" free of violence and suffering.

The Jinchuu Group (Earthly Justice or Revenge) believes that taking away weapons and enforcing laws will only cause more problems. Many of the leaders of the Tenchuu group are evil minded and power hungry. If the Tenchuu were to succeed, the government would be ran by a few weapon-wielding rulers who would dictate what's right and wrong.

Each group is conformed of several skilled assassins who have perfected their skills with time. The clans fight against one another in a highly thrilling race to pursue what they believe in.

Tenchuu Members: Shougo Amaksa (Leader), Kenshin Himura (Battousai), Saito Hajime (2nd rank Assassin), Sanosuke Sagara (3rd rank Assassin), Lady Magdalia "Saio" (Shougo's Sister), Megumi Takani (Groups Dr.).

Jinchuu Members: Enishi Yukishiro (Leader), Aoshi Shinomori (1st rank Assassin), Kaoru Kamiya (2nd rank Assassin), Soujirou Tennken (3rd rank Assassin), Misao Makamachi (4th rank Assassin), Dr. Genzai (Groups Dr.)

Summary: Some scars are difficult to heal, especially ones that are self-inflicted. Amongst the chaos two assassins will come together to discover the true meaning of redemption. A tangled web of hypocrisy, idealism, and love is woven as the members fight for what they believe in.

Rurouni Kenshin is owned by Watsuki-sama and Sony Entertainment Enterprises. This fic is written for entertainment purposes only and believe me; I am not making any money off of this! With that said, on with the story.

Chapter One:

Present Day Kyoto

A masked figure moved stealthily through the shadows unbeknownst to its prey. The stars and moon were hidden by masses of gray clouds, which made it easy to move along unseen. With cat like steps, the intruder eased its way closer to the target, which was a small portly middle-aged man. 

He was dressed in a dark blue suit with an ugly mustard color tie. He seemed quite out of place for the district he was in. Most of the buildings in the area were dilapidated and had windows or bricks missing. The bulbs to the streetlights were broken, which made it hard to see anything in the black abyss. The man pulled up the sleeve of his suit jacket, and looked at his gold rolex watch. He fidgeted around some more before pulling out a small white handkerchief to blot his forehead with.

A cold gust of wind blew past, sending a chill down the man's spine. The clouds above moved along with the wind and so every often you could see rays of the moon peer through the night. A ray of moonlight shone on the man. Droplets of sweat could easily be seen rolling off his head. The masked figure smiled to itself.  He or she could almost taste and smell the fear radiating from his prey.

A few minutes' later loud footsteps echoed off the pavement on the empty street. A small gasp left the man's mouth as his eyes widened with fear. A new figure drew closer with each heavy step until they small man yelped in fear. The footsteps abruptly stopped and into the light of the moon stepped a tall blonde man.

The small man backed away in fear, nearly tripping over the loose stones in the rode. The taller man laughed at the smaller man. The smaller man abruptly stopped as he recognized his comrades voice.

The two men immediately began to have a heated conversation. The small man scolded the other for scaring him and not being on time. The young man took a cigarette out of his pocket and nonchalantly put it in his mouth. He was obviously ignoring the small mans scolding. The young man lit his cigarette and took a long drag. The fire amber glow burned into the masked intruders eyes. 

The tall man, not done teasing the smaller guy, blew smoke into his face. The small man coughed and choked as his pig like features turned red. 

{'This will be too easy.'} The masked figure in the shadows thought happily.

The intruder positioned itself for attack. Its eyes were set on the prey. Without warning the masked assassin jumped out of nowhere. "Die Tenchuu demon!" The masked figure yelled. The gleam of a metal sword could be seen as it swooped from the air and into the small mans chest. 

A gush of blood spurted from the man's upper body as he made an animal like sound. The small man clutched his chest, with his eyes full of fear, and then dropped to the ground, dead.

The young man reached for his gun in a futile attempt to save his skin but was stopped when several small kunai pierced his hand. The young man swore in anger as he clutched his injured hand. The masked figure then pulled out a small pistol and aimed it at the younger man's head. The echoing sound of a gunshot was the last thing to be heard.

The young man's eyes widened as the cigarette from his mouth dropped to the ground, sprouting its ashes as it fell. The blood dripped from the hole like wound in the young man's head. It seemed like forever before he fell. A long moment went by until the man collapsed on top of his comrade.

 The figure put the pistol away and then whipped the swords blade in the air, ridding it of the small man's blood. Before leaving the masked figure dropped a small piece of paper on top of the two bodies and then disappeared into the night.

The piece of paper read "jinchuu" (Earthly Justice or Revenge)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Another Part of Kyoto:

The Tenchuu group is having a secret meeting about the new assassin who has killed several of their members. 

Shougo Amaksa, leader of the Tenchuu clan, wearily looked down at his cup of coffee. His long brown hair limply hung down the sides of his face. His eyes looked tired as if he hadn't got good nights sleep for some time. He was a young man at the age of 30 but if you looked into his eyes, they were those of a 60-year-old man. He became leader of the Tenchuu clan 5 years previous. The only thing Shougo wanted was a peaceful world for him and his followers to live in. At this rate, it didn't seem like it was going to happen anytime soon. 

All in all, Shougo Amaksa was a deeply troubled human being. A so-called "invincible" assassin has been terrorizing his group by killing key members one by one. Many of Shougo's men have become fearful of venturing out alone at night. Day by day, he has found it difficult to find men to gather information from the spy networks. The problem remained; too many people cared about their lives instead of their loyalties.

Shougo looked around the small dimly lit room and analyzed his small audience. He invited the best of the best tonight hoping one of them would be able to remove the "thorn" from his side. 

Sanosuke Sagara, tipped back in his chair nonchalantly as he lazily chewed on a toothpick. His spiky brown hair stood straight in the air and was held in place by a red bandanna tied across his forehead. He believed that he was the "best" of the best and no one else came close, well, except for one other person. Sanosuke used to be a fighter for hire until he joined the Tenchuu clan. His specialties are guns and hand to hand combat.

Saito Hajime, took a long drag off his cigarette and inhaled the intoxicating fumes. When he finally exhaled, the smoke poured from his nose in thick streams. His narrow amber eyes were fixed on the legs of Sanosuke's chair. He was temped to kick it out from underneath him, just for being so lazy and cocky. On more than one occasion Sanosuke had managed to get on Saito's bad side. As far as Saito was concerned, he was the best, and the rest were a bunch of incompetent morons. Saito's expertise's are: guns, swords, and martial arts . His connections with the current police department have aided Shougo with valuable information towards the movement of the Tenchuu group.

There were a few other miscellaneous men among the group who had top skills of their own, but none could compare with Tenchuu's top assassin, Kenshin Himura.

Kenshin had no remorse or hesitations when it came to killing. If he was told to do a job, there was no doubt that he would get it done. He was fast and accurate. For such a little man, Shougo could not imagine where Kenshin got his strength. 

Shougo mentally noted that his prize assassin was not among the audience. He had hoped that he'd be there to listen but he was probably still out on an assignment. Shougo made a decision to start the meeting without him and stood up to address the group.

"Greetings, I am glad to see those of you that made it. My reason for this meeting is about the recent 'problem' we have incurred. The Jinchuu group is growing stronger by the day. The new assassin has already taken 12 of our men's lives in the last two weeks. We can no longer sit idly and wait for the next attack."

"I am asking you men to rid of this 'invincible' assassin. We all know that there is only one man who has truly earned the title of invincible. It is unfortunate though, that he is not with us at this moment, but let me assure you that….

The entrance of a small red haired man interrupted Shougo's speech. The small man slowly stepped forward as his boots made a heavy clomp, clomp sound.

The entire group's attention was now on the small red haired man. Saito smiled evilly, recognizing the new guest and refused to look at the man. Sanosuke lost his balance and almost fell completely backwards when his chair tipped sharply. Sanosuke guffawed at the red haired man and made a wide grin. Shougo made a small face of surprise and then resumed is serious demeanor from before.

 The small man's fiery red hair was tied back in a high ponytail and on his left cheek was a cross-shaped scar. His amber eyes danced in the dim light, sending chills through everyone's spine as he walked closer.

The man's footsteps echoed off the walls with every step. He wore a long black trench coat with the collar pulled up, hiding some of his delicate features. The unearthly stench of blood followed his presence. Anyone with common sense could tell he was a dangerous man. 

"Himura, so nice you could join us." Shougo smiled pleasantly. Shougo made a gesture for him to come sit up front, in one of the empty seats. 

Kenshin eyed the spot where Shougo suggested he sit. Saito Hajime was sitting right next to it. Kenshin narrowed his eyes at Saito, giving him a warning glare. Saito merely laughed to himself and made a wicked grin.

"Are you going to join us Himura?" Shougo asked, noticing his hesitation.

Kenshin nodded and made his way towards the seat. 

Not being able to resist, Saito tilted Kenshin's chair towards him. "Need a little help." Saito mocked. 

Kenshin growled at the greasy black haired man. He didn't need Saito's shit tonight. They may have been on the same side but Kenshin hated Saito with a passion. 

"Are you going to sit down or not? I promise I won't bite." Saito smirked.

"No I prefer to stand." Kenshin answered in a cold voice.

Shougo cleared his throat. "Gentlemen are we ready to resume the meeting?" He said in an annoyed voice. The men nodded as he continued. "Like I said, we need to rid ourselves of this problem assassin. We can not afford to lose any more men at this time, and further more…" Shougo was interrupted Kenshin.

"Two more men are dead. The bodies had a series of lacerations, from which I could tell were caused by a sword and maybe a small dagger of some type. Also, one of the men was shot straight through the head." Shougo gasped. Kenshin continued with a straight face, "These men were killed by one person. I assume this is the assassin you talk about?"

Shougo briefly bowed his head. "How do you know this was done by the same assassin? I do not doubt your instincts, because out of anyone here you would know the subject best."

"The wounds all came from one direction. A sword was used to kill the first man. The second had little time to react. His hand was pierced by some kind of small knives or daggers. Before he was able to draw his gun, the man was shot through the head. A note was found on top of the bodies that read, 'Jinchuu.' I believe this is the same assassin who killed 12 other of our men." Kenshin confirmed.

"I see." Shougo replied. He briefly closed his eyes, trying to control the anger that seared through his veins. 14 men were dead and this assassin was still living.

"We have had problems with the Jinchuu clan before, but nothing as serious as this. This is the work of a new assassin. If he is able to run free killing our men, I am afraid our cause will be forsaken. Himura, you are the best man here for the job. Rid us of this problem." Shougo stated.

Kenshin bowed his head. "The man is as good as dead." He replied.

Sanosuke shot up from his seat. "Hey why are we all here anyways? Why can't any of us have a piece of this guy?" Sano wined.

"Very well Sanosuke, you will join Himura. You can be the bait." Shougo announced to a surprised Sanosuke.

"Bait?!" Sano said, as his voice cracked.

"You are not scared are you Sanosuke? I am sure that any one of these men would surely take your place without hesitation." Shougo said, gesturing to the rest of the group.

"No, I am not scared but don't think you will be getting all the action Kenshin." Sanosuke smiled, as he made a fist.

"I work alone." Kenshin firmly stated.

"Now men, that this is settled, I say the meeting is adjourned." The men got up a started to file out of the room. Before leaving, Saito caught Sanosuke by the shoulder. "It's too bad that this may very well be the last time I see you rooster head." Saito smirked.

Sanosuke slapped Saito's hand away. "You wish." Sano replied.

Kenshin was the last to leave along with Shougo. He didn't like the idea of having a partner. He worked best alone. Sanosuke would only get in the way. Shougo was the boss though and Kenshin would not disobey orders. 

As Kenshin walked out, he grasped the hilt of his sword and thoughtfully rubbed his thumb against the leather wrappings. {'Start counting your days you Jinchuu pig because they are numbered.'}

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kaoru quietly slipped into her room, unbeknownst to her comrades. She did not feel like talking to anyone tonight. After a night like the hers, she wanted nothing more than sleep. She only felt absolute peace through loneliness and silence. 

Kaoru undid her belt and let it slip to the floor with a loud thunk. She then sat on her bed and undid the laces of her heavy black boots. Kaoru kicked them off, enjoying the freedom of socked feet. Next, she took off her tight black sweater and matching leggings and then neatly sat them on a pile with her ski mask.

Kaoru walked into the bathroom adjoining her room and started the water to the shower. The hot steam clouded the small bathroom as Kaoru stripped off the rest of her clothes. Kaoru stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain shut. She savored the feeling of the burning water that sprayed against her skin. She watched the discoloration of the water turn from pink to red back to pink and then clear. 

Being an assassin was a messy job. There was not one time in her whole career where she did not come home with blood on her. Kaoru stayed in the shower until her body was raw from all the scrubbing and the heat of the water. After an hour the water started to cool, signaling that she had been in there too long.

Kaoru turned off the tap and stepped out of the tub. She grabbed a soft white terry towel and began to dry herself off. Her body held a bright pink hue from the effects of her recent shower. Kaoru finished drying herself and wrapped her hair in the towel. She wiped the fog away from the mirror and stared at her reflection. 

She pursed her lips together and made scowl. More than anything Kaoru hated mirrors. She couldn't stand to see her reflection. It wasn't like she thought she was ugly, but something more bothered her, something she wasn't ready to face. Kaoru quickly turned away from the mirror and wrapped an enormous towel around her as she left the bathroom. She sat on her bed, glad that she was home. Every time she had to kill, for some reason it always seemed like the first time. 

The rush of fear and adrenalin coursed through her veins every time she spotted her prey. She denied feeling any remorse for her actions but deep down something told her it wasn't the right answer.

Kaoru snapped out of her daze and reached for her hairbrush on her nightstand. She combed her hair, trying not to think of what she did tonight. She could not forget the look on the poor bald man's face as she sliced his chest open or the shocked look of the younger man's eyes as the blood poured out of the bullet wound from his head.

Kaoru angrily threw her brush against the wall. She shouldn't think about such things. He was her enemy and nothing more. Kaoru tried to forget about the grizzly pictures in her head, knowing they would only lead to something she'd regret. She furiously braided her hair trying to put the night behind her. She kept eyeing her black belt lying on the floor a few feet away from her. The contents of her belt held something to the only means of comfort that would get her through this night. She was bound and determined to stop her sick addiction, but tonight wasn't going to be the night.

Quickly, Kaoru grabbed a hair tie from her nightstand drawer and fastened her braid. She got up and turned the covers over to her bed and crawled in. She kept her back to the offending belt but was unable to think of anything else. Defeated, she heaved a loud sight and turned over to stare at the small belt. She brought the blankets around her chin and clung to them tightly. Her hands became sweaty and her heart began to race. 

{'Not tonight, I don't need to do it. Just forget about it Kaoru.'} She said to herself.

She couldn't take it anymore. The belt was taunting her, beckoning her towards it. Kaoru sat up as she clung to the bath towel she forgot to change out of. 

Noticing her blunder, Kaoru got out of bed and walked over to her dresser. She fished out a pair of gray shorts and a small baby tee. She let the towel drop to the floor. Her small frame was a shadow in the dark light. She dressed herself and picked the discarded towel off the floor. The belt was only a few steps away. Unable to resist temptation, Kaoru moved towards the belt and picked it up. She brought both the towel and the belt back to the bed and sat down.

She opened a pouch on the belt and slipped out a small kunai. She gazed at the sharp object in her hand. It was a wonder to her how something so small and deadly could be such a comfort to her.

Echos of her fathers voice filled her head, {'Kaoru, use the sword that protects. This is the one thing I ask of you.'} "No father." Kaoru whispered as tears fell from her eyes.

Kaoru brought the kunai to her upper left arm and let the blade move across her skin. She closed her eyes; savoring the delicious feeling of comfort it gave her. The pain was relatively small compared to what she felt emotionally. The pain soon turned into numbness, which then subsided into emptiness. The cut began to surface warm droplets of blood, which started streaming down her arm. Upon close inspection, a person could see small scars on her wrists, upper arms, legs, and chest that looked like Chinese characters. If anyone asked, she said they were henna tattoos. She didn't want anyone to know about her dark secret.

A loud knock at the door brought Kaoru back to reality. Quickly, Kaoru discarded the kunai and took the white towel and wrapped it around her arm. She crawled into bed as fast as she could and brought the covers tightly around her chin.

"Co..Come in." Kaoru said nervously.

The knob turned and the door slowly opened to reveal a tall shadow of a man. The man quietly stepped inside and shut the door behind him. The room was completely dark except for what little light crept through the window. Kaoru could make out the outline of his body but nothing more. 

The man stepped towards her bed and kicked off his shoes. He crawled on the other side of the bed and lay next to her. "Aoshi." Kaoru whispered.

"Yes." Aoshi replied in a soft voice. Aoshi moved closer and wrapped his arms around the mass of blankets she held tight against her. He brought his chin to the crook of her neck and inhaled the sweet smell of sakura blossoms. Aoshi was a handsome man, with wispy ebony hair. He had known Kaoru for almost eight years. Aoshi was a quiet man by nature but he made it known that Kaoru was the object of his affection. The only thing was Kaoru never made it known if she accepted him in that way or not.

"Do you think I am weak?" Kaoru asked.

"Do I think you're weak? You are one of Jinchuu's best assassins. Whatever got into you mind to make you think that? Why just the other day you almost got the best of me. I would never say you were weak." Aoshi said nuzzling her neck.

"You're right, I almost did get the best of you…didn't I? Kaoru giggled.

"Almost." Aoshi playfully said ,as he tugged the covers away from Kaoru's neck. "Hey why do you have a towel in bed?" He asked as he tugged the material away from her arm. 

"Wait, don't do that!" Kaoru shrieked, but it was too late. Aoshi already had the towel in hand.

A familiar stench of blood filled his nostrils as he studied the towel closer. "Blood…you're hurt. How did this happen and why didn't you tell me?" Aoshi said in a stern voice.

"I was a little careless tonight, okay. I let one of them get a shot at me. It's only a surface wound so don't worry. I will be careful next time." Kaoru lied.

Aoshi gave her a look of disapproval. "One second of carelessness can cost you your life, remember that."

"I know, I know…" Kaoru trailed. She pulled herself up and turned towards Aoshi. "Can I have my towel back?" Aoshi silently handed her the towel and she wrapped it around her arm. She laid back down, this time facing him. He caressed the side of her cheek and looked deep into her azure eyes.

"I am not sure what I'd do if I ever lost you." He whispered.

"Don't worry, I am not going anywhere." She smiled. "I am tired, will you please lay with me until I go to sleep?" Kaoru asked with puppy dog eyes.

"Sure." He whispered. Kaoru snuggled closer to his chest and closed her eyes. Aoshi's the only one who has even come close to understanding her. Kaoru no longer felt the urge to punish herself. Aoshi, laid with her as promised and watched her slowly fall asleep. 

End of Chapter One

Well, what did you guys think? This fic is going to be deeper than my last one. Kaoru has a serious problem that many young people face today. I, myself, do not know first hand what it's like to be a cutter. This is a hard topic to write. 

So, with that said, please review and let me know if you loved or hated it ^_^

Have a nice weekend!

~*Charismatic Angel*~


End file.
